“Contents,” Ensign, Apr. 1974, 1
Ensign
April 1974
Volume 4 Number 4
On the cover: A portion of a new painting by Harry Anderson. The painting is to be done by Grant Romney Clawson in mural form for display in the new General Church Office Building. See center insert for the complete painting.
Inside front Cover: He is Risen! The photograph, by Laurel Cole, is of the now-named Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.
Beginning the Work in Hawaii. Painted by Edward T. Grigware. On December 13, 1850, one day after ten elders landed at Honolulu, part of the then-identified Sandwich Islands, one of their number wrote: “Our first duty, after securing lodgings, was to repair to a convenient mountain, on the top of which we found a steep knob that rose suddenly and formed a table of thirty or thirty-five feet in width. On the way up we picked up a rock apiece, with which we formed a rude altar. We then sang a hymn, and each one in his turn, expressed his desires. The oldest, who was also the president, was selected to be mouth in prayer. … Having thus dedicated the Islands and ourselves to the Lord, one of the Elders spoke in tongues and uttered many comforting promises, and another interpreted. The spirit of the Lord rested powerfully upon us, and we were filled with exceeding great joy. I had the satisfaction, afterwards, of witnessing the fulfillment of the promises made on that occasion.”
Thirty-one years earlier, the great King Kamehameha I had outlawed idolatry, making Hawaiians a people virtually without a religion. According to legend, the “true religion” would someday come in a “square box.” For many, the 1820 coming of Christian missionaries and the 1839 publication of the Bible in the language of the people adequately filled the ancient promise. It was an excellent foundation. Fulfillment of the “square box” prophecy took on greater significance when Hawaiians learned that the Book of Mormon, a history of their forefathers, had been stored for generations in a square stone box. Within several years of this date, thousands of Hawaiians had joined the Church.
Today, 28,000 Saints, a temple, a four-year college, a unique Polynesian Cultural Center, six stakes, and a mission are part of the special heritage of the Church in Hawaii.—JMT